Time and Patience is the key

How to Photoshop: Vectors

OR, BECAUSE CALLING THEM VECTORS IS STUPID, TODAY WE’RE GOING TO LEARN HOW TO DO THIS:

SO, BEFORE YOU GET TO PHOTOSHOPPING, YOU NEED TO FIND A DECENT FRONT FACING PICTURE OF WHOEVER YOU ARE DOING THIS OF. TRY TO FIND ONE WHERE YOU CAN SEE FROM THE TOP TO THE BOTTOM OF THEIR HAIR, OR YOU’LL END UP HAVING TO FREE HAND WHAT YOU THINK IT LOOKS LIKE. I PICKED THIS ONE:

NOW, OPEN PHOTOSHOP (YOU CAN ALSO DO THIS IN ILLUSTRATOR, BUT NOT EVERYONE LIKES TO USE IT).

WHEN YOU MAKE A NEW DOCUMENT, I TEND TO GO BIG OR GO HOME, BECAUSE IT’S EASY TO MAKE IT SMALLER AND KEEP YOUR QUALITY THAN IT IS TO MAKE IT BIGGER AND KEEP YOUR QUALITY. (WELL, THIS MIGHT BE TOO BIG, BUT SHHH)

THIS IS WHERE THE REAL FUN STARTS. COPY AND PASTE (OR DRAG OR HOWEVER YOU DO IT) YOUR PHOTO ONTO THE NEW DOCUMENT.

THIS JUST LOOKS SAD. OBVIOUSLY THE PHOTO IS WAY TOO SMALL TO USE RIGHT NOW, SO WE’RE GOING TO BLOW IT UP. IT’S GOING TO LOSE SOME QUALITY, BUT NOT TOO MUCH THAT YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO TELL WHAT YOU’RE DOING. SO, USING EDIT -> TRANSFORM (OR COMMAND+T ON MAC, SORRY I DON’T KNOW THE PC SHORTCUT), WE WILL RESIZE IT.

HOLD DOWN THE SHIFT KEY WHEN YOU DRAG THE EDGES OF THE BOX. THIS WILL KEEP THE ASPECT RATION THE SAME ON THE PHOTO, SO IT WONT LOOK DISTORTED. NO, WHEN YOU THINK YOU’VE GOT IT TO THE SIZE YOU WANT IT, IT WILL PROBABLY LOOK SOMETHING LIKE THIS:

WHICH LOOKS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO WORK WITH. NO WORRIES. CLICK ON THE BLACK ARROW TOOL, AND IT WILL ASK:

CLICK APPLY AND IT SHOULD LOOK FAR LESS PIXELATED. YOU’RE NOW DONE WITH THE PICTURE, ON TO THE ACTUAL BRUNT OF THE JOB.

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YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE YOUR LAYER PALLET IT OPEN FOR THIS. IF IT IS, GOOD FOR YOU. IF NOT, YOU CAN GO WINDOWS -> LAYERS OR YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO HIT F7. IT SHOULD LOOK SOMETHING LIKE THIS:

CREATE A NEW LAYER BY HITTING THE SQUARE WITH IT’S CORNER TURNED UP OR WHATEVER IT IS YOU CALL THAT.

NOW, SELECT THE PEN TOOL FROM THE TOOLBAR.

ALSO, MAKE SURE YOUR PEN TOOL SETTINGS (THEY SHOULD APPEAR AT THE TOP OF THE SCREEN) MATCH THESE, BECAUSE SOMETIMES THEY GET FUCKED UP AND IT MAKES THIS WAY HARDER TO DO.

NOW, YOU’RE GOING TO WANT TO ZOOM IN TO AT LEAST 100%, SOMETIMES MORE DEPENDING ON HOW HIGH QUALITY THE PHOTO IS AND HOW DEFINED THE HAIR IS. PICK A STARTING POINT, I LIKE TO START WITH A PLACE THAT’S AT I FIND I HAVE TO CONCENTRATE ON MOST, NORMALLY AROUND THE FACE. ONCE YOU FIND THE STARTING POINT, CLICK ONCE TO PLACE THE BEGINNING OF YOUR PATH.

NOW, WHEN YOU CLICK WHERE YOU WANT YOUR NEXT POINT, IT’S GOING TO BE A STRAIGHT LINE FROM POINT ONE TO POINT TWO.

WHICH IS NOT WHAT YOU WANT. YOU OBVIOUSLY WANT IT TO CURVE. SO YOU WILL CLICK TO PUT YOUR NEXT POINT AND PULL LEFT OR RIGHT DEPENDING ON HOW YOU WANT YOUR CURVE TO LOOK, WHEN YOU’RE HAPPY WITH IT, RELEASE.

NOW, WHEN YOU CLICK TO MAKE YOUR NEXT POINT, YOU’RE THINKING IT WILL MAKE A STRAIGHT LINE AGAIN, RIGHT? NO, WRONG.

SO, TO BE ABLE TO CURVE THE NEXT POINT CORRECTLY, YOU HAVE TO ALT + CLICK THE SECOND POINT, THEN IT WILL WORK NORMALLY.

SEE, IT’S MISSING ONE OF THE SIDE-LINES OF THE POINT THAT WERE THERE BEFORE. SO, NOW YOU CAN PROCEED TO DO THE NEXT STEP.

CONTINUE TO GO ALL AROUND THE HAIR. USE MORE POINTS WHERE THE HAIR IS DEFINED, LESS WHERE THE HAIR IS SMOOTH. ALSO, YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE TO CLOSE YOUR PATH, WHICH MEANS THAT YOU HAVE TO CONECT THE LAST POINT TO THE FIRST POINT.

NOW, YOU SHOULD HAVE SOMETHING THAT LOOKS LIKE THIS:

NOW, IN YOUR LAYERS PALLET, CLICK ON PATHS.

NOW, RIGHT CLICK THE WORK PATH, AND CLICK FILL PATH. UNDER CONTENTS, CHANGE THE USE: TO COLOR.

FROM THERE, IT WILL PROMPT YOU TO PICK A COLOR, I USED THE EYE DROPPER TOOL TO PULL A COLOR FROM HER HAIR.

HIT OK, THEN YOU WILL GET THIS:

CLICK DELETE TO GET RID OF THE PATH. IN THE LAYERS PALET, MAKE THE HAIR LAYER NOT VISIBLE, SO WE, CAN DO THE EYEBROWS.

MAKE SURE THE PHOTO LAYER IS SELECTED BEFORE MAKING A NEW LAYER.

YOUR NEW LAYER IS NOW UNDER THE HAIR LAYER.

NOW, DO THE EYEBROWS THE SAME WAY YOU DID THE HAIR. IT’S BEST TO PICK A COLOR FOR THEM THAT IS AT LEAST A LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM THE HAIR SO YOU THEY DON’T BLEND RIGHT TOGETHER. IF YOU CAN’T SEE THE WHOLE EYEBROW BECAUSE OF HAIR, JUST GUESS WHERE IT WOULD BE, ALSO IT WILL BE COVERED UP BY YOUR HAIR LAYER, SO IT’S OKAY.

NOW, MAKE THE HAIR LAYER VISIBLE AGAIN. YOU CAN EITHER DELETE THE PHOTO LAYER OR HIDE IT.

NOW, SINCE I THINK THE SIDES OF MY HAIR WITH THE LONG PIECES STICKING OUT IS WEIRD, I WILL EDIT THOSE OUT.

YOU CAN DO THIS HOWEVER YOU WANT, I AM GOING TO USE THE LASSO TOOL BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO HAVE TO SHOW EVERYONE HOW TO MAKE A SELECTION FROM A PEN TOOL PATH. (I KNOW I’M LAZY, YOU DON’T HAVE TO TELL ME). THERE, MUCH BETTER.

NOW, CLICK ON LAYER ONE IN YOUR LAYER PALET.

NOW, SELECT A COLOR YOU LIKE, AND CLICK ON THE PAINT BUCKET TOOL. FILL IT.

IF YOU NEED TO MOVE YOUR HAIR/EYEBROW COMBINATION, YOU NEED TO CLICK ON BOTH LAYERS (USE SHIFT) SO THEY STAY TOGETHER. THEN, CLICK ON THE BLACK ARROW TOOL, AND REPOSITION IT.